Andy Griffith plays a small-town sheriff on his new CBS-TV series. Don Knotts is his rather overzealous deputy, Barney Fife. August ,1960.

Andy Griffith, who died at age 86, will always be remembered for his role as Andy Taylor in The Andy Griffith Show.

This biography and trivia quiz by Ralph Albi appeared in the June 24, 1979 Empire Magazine.

Griffith (whose real name was Andrew Samuel Griffith) was born in Mount Airy, North Carolina, on June 1, 1926. Andy was an only child whose father worked in a furniture factory, was forced to repeat fourth grade when a lengthy illness kept him from attending school regularly. In order to fight the humiliation of being kept back a year in school, he became the class clown. The attention he received as a comic made him feel special, and he knew then he wanted to be involved in the performing arts.

Andy attended the University of North Carolina, originally intending to become a Christian minister, but switched his major to music and drama. His break came in 1955 when he won the part of Will Stockade in a Broadway comedy about a country boy inducted into the Army.

Griffith’s television series, The Andy Griffith Show, began in 1960 and was rated among the top 10 shows through most of its run. In 1968, Andy called it quits on the series because he believed the show had run its course.

TRIVIA QUIZ

1. On the TV series The Andy Griffith Show, in which town was Andy Jackson Taylor (Griffith) the newspaper editor, justice of the peace and sheriff?

2. What was the name of the school teacher Andy married during the final season of The Andy Griffith Show?

3. Jim Nabors played the role of Gomer Pyle on the above series. Where did Gomer work?

4. The role of Deputy Barney Oliver Fife was filled by Don Knotts who won four Emmy Awards. Exactly how many bullets was Barney allowed to carry?

5. According to The Andy Griffith Show script, what was the relationship between Andy and Barney, other than sheriff and deputy?

6. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. and Mayberry, R.F.D. were both spinoff series from The Andy Griffith Show. From what show was Andy’s originally spun off?

7. Name the 1975 film in which Griffith appeared as a has-been Western movie star named Howard Pike who stole a script from would-be writer Jeff Bridges.

8. Identify Griffith’s present TV series in which he plays Harry, a junkyard dealer who sometimes operates with a rocket instead of a pickup truck.

9. Name the 1970 television series in which Andy portrayed a teacher named Andy Thompson at a private high school named Concord?

10. Andy first earned national attention when he wrote and recorded a song which was a country boy’s description of his first football game. What was the title of that record?

Click to display the answers

1. Mayberry, North Carolina
2. Helen Crump (played by Anita Corseaut)
3. At Wally’s gas station
4. One, which he kept in his shirt pocket
5. They were cousins
6. The Danny Thomas Show
7. Hearts of the West
8. Salvage 1
9. Headmaster
10. What It Was, Was Football